With Sword and Bow in Hand
by AzureForest
Summary: Sometimes it's the small things that matter most. 30 chapters of Edward/Leonardo. Mostly unconnected oneshots/drabbles ranging from angst, fluff, friendship and god knows what. Rated T for language. Partially rewritten. Current theme: Starlight.
1. Infinite

**Day 1 - Infinity**

* * *

_Love is infinite._

_I feel as if nothing is impossible with you, Edward._

_I believe in you._

_I'll stay at your side forever. Watch your back, you know?_

The tears ran down Edward's face as he gripped the worn bow in his hands, dry sobs racked his small frame.

"You _promised,_ Leonardo!"

A single wail tore out of his throat, voice hoarse.

"You said we would get out of this-"

"We _swore_ that we would last forever! Infinitely!"

"**_Why did you leave?_**"

Sothe sighed, closing the door to the brunet's room. Ever since that final battle, the sobbing boy had been like this- Many had fallen in their ranks, but the most prominent victim to the swords and lances of the enemy had been one person.

Leonardo.

The lack of of the blonde archer's presence was evident, the occasional chiding comment and chuckle being missing from most of their conversations. But there was one other thing missing.

A bark of laughter here, excited chatter there. All from Edward. All toned down to silence and the rare weak smile.

It had been because of a promise between the two boys, something which Sothe didn't quite know about. There had been quite a handful of things about the duo that had been kept from the greenette, and this seemed to be the reason behind Edward's sorrow... But he wouldn't pry.

"Leonardo..."

The trueblade remembered everything to the smallest detail, had memorised the archer's warm and slender hands, the details of his face, the way his eyes shined as he spoke those words they had only dared share in secret, but had whispered to each other that they would not need to hide much longer. Edward missed all this. But most of all, he missed Leonardo.

_Don't cry._ He could imagine the blonde standing in front of him right now, smiling down at him warmly. Edward still loved him. He always would.

_Live on for me, Edward. You know I can't have anything happen to you?_

Typical. The brunet choked on his words. 'That's why you died!' - that's what he wanted to say so badly, but he couldn't. In the end, it was his fault. But he couldn't let Leo down. Not now. Not ever. And he wanted to live on, make him happy, until they finally met again, and they would truly be eternal.

And he wouldn't ever forget. No matter what, even when the end comes.

He would love him infinitely. After all,

_Love is eternal._

But life isn't. And fate had a cruel way of ending what can be ended, in the most painful ways possible...

...


	2. Forget

**Day 2 - Forget  
**

* * *

It was just another normal day among the Dawn Brigade, the weather was pleasant and everything seemed relatively at peace for the moment. The sun looked as if it was smiling down on them, and everybody seemed to be in a good mood, really. So there they were, taking a well-deserved rest in the first week of spring. And it really was evident that is was finally that particular season- The flowers were in full bloom in the fields, birds chirping away to their heart's content. And there just so happened to be someone sitting among them, weaving a flower crown of sorts. And not necessarily succeeding, either, but he seemed content with trying what Micaiah had shown him once.

That someone was Leonardo. He fiddled with a few stems, thinking one flower looked slightly misplaced-

And as soon as he nudged it, the entire thing just- Well, fell apart. The archer sighed. His speciality was carving, not weaving. But still, it was enjoyable every now and then. And it isn't every day one finds flowers as nice as these. But flower crowns weren't the reason he was here in the first place. The blond was waiting.

For someone, of course.

Possibly to make more out of their free day, and maybe- just maybe- to give the person he was waiting for the flower crown if he ever finished the blasted thing.

"I do hope he hasn't forgotten." he grumbled. "But then again, it would be typical for him." Leonardo emitted a soft laugh, before returning to the flowers that had just fallen out of his hands.

"Really, where is Edward at?"

* * *

Said boy seemed to be contemplating something as he stared at a bug crossing the path. All day, he felt like he had forgotten something important, and he couldn't find Leonardo anywhere, possibly the only person able to give him pointers to what exactly he had forgotten. Drat. Edward pouted, kneeling down and nudging the little beetle along with a finger, hoping it wouldn't get trampled later, before heading off to find his blond companion.

Wait.

Maybe the archer had something to do with this thing he was forgetting? Hmm...

He tapped his chin, still wondering. Before a small, single, golden-yellow flower caught his eye. Then he remembered.

"SHIT!"

* * *

_I might be getting the hang of this._ Leonardo held up the finished flower crown and inspected it. Sure, it looked dodgy and slightly crushed here and there, but all in all, it was a success, for his terrible flower-arranging skills, that is.

And Edward still hadn't arrived. The blond was now beginning to worry that the brunet actually forgot about the rendezvous. Amazing. He sighed in a frustrated manner.

Grumbling an "I should go look for him.", he made to stand up when he heard a rather loud yelp of profanity and rustling in the bushes near the path. The archer rolled his eyes.

Speak of the devil.

Edward burst out of the undergrowth, sticks caught in his messy hair and breathing heavily, before tackling Leonardo. He'd obviously run to get here.

"Am I late to the party?" the myrmidon wheezed, still half-lying on the other, too exhausted to get up for now. The latter couldn't help but laugh slightly, even though he had just been bowled over.

"Very."

He rolled off and sat up, trying to get the twigs out of his brown locks. "Sorry." he muttered apologetically.

Leonardo sat up as well with a huff, and scooted over to assist. "Well, you're here now, right? I was afraid you forgot completely."

A chuckle was heard from Edward. "Well, I kind of- sort of- did at first, but hey, you're right. I remembered, after all!"

* * *

The two balanced each other well. Leonardo was one to remember items and schedules, but he needed help for memories.

Edward forgot things easily, but the one thing he doesn't is memories.


	3. Moonlight

**Day 3 - Moonlight  
**

**Turned into sunset rather than moonlight, whoops.**

* * *

"Hey, we should be getting back..." Leonardo murmured, shifting under the weight of the firewood he and Edward were carrying. The latter, however, insisted that they see the sunset and moon rise before they get back, eyes shining in excitement.

"I heard there's going to be a full moon tonight, and I don't want to miss it! Also, it won't be long before that happens." he chirped, pointing towards the horizon, where the sun had already began setting and was dying the clouds a soft pink. "Because hey, a few minutes won't make too much of a difference, right?" A sigh was heard from the blond archer as he shifted again. A rather irritating branch had been poking him in the arm for a while now, and he wanted to be allowed to drop the pile at camp and relieve his arms. Not that he lacked arm strength, it was just incredibly uncomfortable and his legs were getting tired. But spending time with Edward like this wasn't to be wasted, and how was he to say no to that expression? He was torn.

"I don't know about a few minutes, but the differences between night and evening are quite drastic. I'm not sure we should risk it. And we really need to bring this firewood back..." he replied, looking back and forth between his companion and the sunset. Although he had to admit that the sunset did, in fact, look amazing. There was no denying that.

Edward only pouted in return, before grabbing the other's hand, causing him to drop the firewood he was holding and yelp in surprise. "Oh come on, you need to loosen up at some point." he replied, before dragging a halfheartedly protesting Leonardo along with him to a nearby clearing. "Not that anyone would notice, right?"

"Well, since you've already dragged me here-" he grumbled, looking back at the sunset. Both of them lay down on the soft grass. Edward grinned, glad that his partner gave in.

But still, the sunset was mesmerizing. A myriad of colors dyed the sky, from a deep red to a navy color. The clouds were bathed in pink and orange, the horizon gleamed from the last sliver of sunlight. Soon, that too disappeared, replaced by the cool white of the moonlight.

"Wow..." Leonardo breathed, watching the first star light up, winking down at the two. Edward smiled broadly at the former.

"Make a wish? The first star out at night and all..."

"But isn't that just a children's fairy tale?"

"Trying wouldn't hurt."

The archer squinted up at the star, thinking. Before speaking up again. "Then you should wish for something too." The brunet merely laughed in response, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Nah, I've already got what I want."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow in response. "What-? How?"

Edward held up a hand and wagged his finger. The blond quickly became suspicious of the grin on the brunet's face. "You still have to make your wish!" the trueblade sang.

"That isn't an answer!" The marksman muttered, elbowing him in the side, drawing out a wheeze-laugh in reply.

"Alright, alright." Edward sat up, leaned over and pecked Leonardo's forehead. "You coming here was enough for me." The blond flushed, exasperated and slightly flattered at the extremely _cheesy_ answer. So much second-hand embarrassment. "Well, there goes my wish." he muttered, finally giving in and smiling.

"Hm?"

"More attention from you." Edward spluttered in surprise. Now _that _really was cheesy. But that was basically a summary of the two, from almost platonic to all lovey-dovey in a matter of moments.

"Come here, you." the brunet snickered, dragging Leonardo into his lap ignoring his not-really protest of 'Hey!'.

They stayed like that for a while.

Maybe a little too long.

And they might have forgotten to drag the firewood back when the two finally got up.

"Edward, Leonardo, where were you? And where's the firewood?"

"Oh."

"Crap."


	4. Reset

**Day 4 - Reset  
**

**Warning - Kagerou Days references ahead, with a few theories including what the characters go through if one resets the game after one unit accidentally dies. Takes place in the Endgame of Part I. Don't worry, I'm not actually this bad at this game.**

* * *

How could a single battle lead to so much chaos?

It was one battle, but it had been repeating itself over and over again for the past few weeks. The blackouts between each reset differed in length, but Edward had been trying to find out what all of this was about. Why did he always have to remember what happened? With each repeat, he had become more nervous, while all the others seemed the same as the very first battle. He _knew_ which one of them always died, when the game always resetted.

Is that all they were in?

A game between life and death?

Countless times had he tried to get all of the people he knew out of the skirmish alive, but as soon as one fell, he was back at point one. And it was slowly breaking him. The brunet felt the world around him materialize again, sitting up in his tent in a cold sweat, as if he had just waken up form a horrible dream.

_It isn't a dream._ he reminded himself once more, as he lay back down again, glancing at the position of the sun. Exactly the same as it always was once he had gotten out of the strange state of blackness. It was still dark, to be exact. Edward didn't even bother to get up to check the day anymore. The fifteenth day of the eighth month. They were to move out in the morning, towards the battlefield to storm the keep. He went through the scenarios he went through so far, stopping as he remembered the very first one.

And he sunk back into a memory that had happened so long ago, yet not had happened yet.

* * *

"You know, the heat never quite appealed to me."

Edward turned to look at his companion with a questioning gaze, confused at Leonardo blurting that out from seemingly nowhere.

"Wha-? But we'll be fighting indoors, anyways, so it wouldn't make much of a difference. I personally can't wait until we smash Jarod's face in." The brunet chirped back in response with a grin. He received no response as the blond simply gathered up his quiver, armor, bow and emergency vulnerary.

Oh well, it was rather irrelevant, anyways. For the moment, at least.

Everything was moving along fairly well- It only began going horribly wrong after they had entered the keep. Time and time again.

The myrmidon and archer were fighting back to back, Leonardo shooting the enemies from afar, while Edward picked off the rest one by one. The strategy was working well, until an especially quick thief had managed to disarm the blond with a flick of his hand, the bow skittering a few meters away before Edward stabbed the offender, effectively ending the enemy's life. Leonardo thoughtlessly dived after his bow, not seeing the mage run for the vulnerable archer with an Elthunder in hand. Edward's eyes widened.

"Leonardo!"

Finally grabbing a hold of the weapon, said boy turned around to look at his partner. It was already too late.

The thunder spell threw Leonardo into the wall with a sickening crack, electrocuting him on the spot. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air around the dead boy, his limp form falling to the ground.

And despite himself seeing death on a daily basis, seeing his best friend die was too much. He could see an axe descending onto him in the corner of his eyes, but he didn't care.

The brunet blacked out before the axe hit.

* * *

Out of all of them, Leonardo died the most.

Pierced by an onslaught of javelins. Reset.

Stabbed through the heart by a myrmidon. Reset.

Beheaded by a fighter's axe. Reset.

Falling down the stairs as Edward attempted to drag him to safety. Reset.

_No._

An enemy archer carefully takes aim for the blond's head.

_This has to stop._

A wind mage sends Leonardo toppling over the railing of the platform.

A single, disembodied hand smeared blood over all the possibilities, as Edward stared in horror.

_One last time. I promise._

The last reset. He would make it this time.

The brunet dived back into what seemed like the very first scenario, where the thunder mage was readying his spell.

And pushed Leonardo out of the way of what would have killed him. The bright light of the spell engulfed him, before he felt the pain course through his body. He was thrown back, in his friend's footsteps, and his heart stopped suddenly, as a thin smile appeared on his lips. The din of the screaming and clashing of weapons died down. The blond stared at Edward in horror.

_I did it._

Before the blade of an axe appeared behind the archer.

**_RESET._**

* * *

Leonardo sat up with a scream, gripping his long hair as he began sobbing.

He had failed, lost count of his failures.

Edward had died again.

But they would make it though at some point, right?

Just keep resetting.


	5. Attraction

**Day 5 - Attraction**

**A (slighty altered) suggestion from my friend. I had no idea what I was doing.**

* * *

At first, he didn't even notice it.

Just a passing thought of '_His smile is cute'_ or '_He should wear casual clothing more often'_ were the only signs that he was slowly, but surely falling for his best friend._  
_

Not that he really noticed.

The thoughts began escalating, slowly, to other things, such as _'I wonder what his hair smells like' _and _'Look at those thin fingers, how well would they fit between mine?'_

At this point he found himself staring at the other's mouth more often than not, rather attentively. Leonardo didn't think much of his friend's odd behaviour.

_A kiss wouldn't hurt, would it?_

Edward had to stop himself more often than not, wondering what he was doing. It was probably just a phase, was what he thought. On which he was horribly mistaken.

Only when he found himself becoming distracted during training against the blond did he realise something was going wrong, ever-so-slightly. But could he pinpoint the reason? Not really, no. So he pushed the thought back to figure out later, persevering with his ever-present grin.

A shy glance here, a blush there. The spontaneous times he felt his face heat up, he had no idea what was causing it. It couldn't be Leonardo, sitting next to him at dinner, right? Impossible. The blond was just smiling, nothing more.

_He really should smile more often._

_His lips look soft, though. About that kiss..._

Edward shook his head to clear it, mentally slapping himself, then returned to his slice of bread as if nothing happened.

"Edward."

Jumping slightly, the brunet looked at Leonardo, bread half-stuffed into his mouth. "Mmph?" He replied, not being able to talk properly with his mouth full- His blond companion (and crush, but don't tell him that) rolled his eyes.

"You've been acting odd lately."

The brunet furrowed his brow and began chewing slowly, before swallowing. "You think?"

"Everybody else is finished, and you were just staring into space with a silly grin. Normally you're the first to dig in. Is there something on my face, or is there a different reason as to why you were looking at me like that?"

The myrmidon jumped. He'd been doing that? Looking around, he found Leonardo to be speaking the truth. Everybody else was either just lounging around or had already left. Micaiah was curiously watching their interaction, and Ilyana had probably just taken an entire loaf to snack on later and was off doing something else. Or just eating somewhere else.

Edward couldn't find any other response other than shrugging. "I honestly don't know."

"If you say so. I'll be in my tent." The archer stood up to leave.

_His hair's gotten longer, it's kinda pretty._

Eyes widening slightly, the brunet stood up. "Hey, wait!" His friend turned around, an eyebrow raised. _Yeah, pretty- He's pretty attractive, too, come to think of it._

"I've had some weird thoughts cropping up in my head lately."

Leonardo's brow furrowed in confusion. "Define weird."

"Uh- Out of nowhere? Kind of out of context and nonsensical? Heck, it could be about anything, but it's always something with you."

The only reaction he got from Leonardo was him suddenly going beet red, spluttering and running out the tent, muttering something under his breath as he did so. Something among the lines of 'idiot' and 'life'.

Edward simply tilted his head. _That was kind of adorable._

_Wait._

_Shit._

Suddenly giving a yelp, he bolted out of his seat, leaving half of his uneaten bread behind.

Micaiah snickered.

"Lovebirds."


	6. Doll

**Day 6 - Doll  
**

* * *

He seemed so much like a fragile, porcelain doll, even if he was quite the contrary. His posture, the way he held himself made him seem noble, graceful. Even the drawing of an arrow from his quiver was executed in one quick and smooth movement, but as aesthetic as he was, he was still very vulnerable.

Sometimes he was afraid that the blond would suddenly shatter into pieces.

Edward remembered the first time he had met him, how utterly broken he looked as the soldiers surrounded him, ready to run him through without hesitation. It was only luck that the brunet happened to be there at the right time and fend off the cronies long enough for both of them to run away.

Grimy nobleman's academy uniform, scratched, bruised and tired. It took a while for him to recover. But in his eyes, the boy he had saved was someone he couldn't help but wonder how he got out of the situation unscathed at all.

And yet, at the same time, he was resistant to so much. Like an old, loved rag doll who had been thrown around often but still survived. Edward couldn't help but admire this. He knew how so much worked, like a seasoned warrior.

The archer had many sides to him, like one of those small, colorful toys- What were they called? -Which had yet another, different one of it's kind within. So many different aspects the further he delved into his personality, the mindset he had fallen in love with.

Fragile, yet resistant. Beautiful. Deep. Loved.

But at the same time, so much more.

The myrmidon ran his fingers along the other's pale skin gingerly, leaving a soft trail of butterfly kisses in their wake. The other shuddered at the sensation, before relaxing once more. Blue eyes gazed up at him with mirth.

Alive, expressive, loving, _real_.

So very real.

Not something that could fracture and crumble away, not something unmoving that cannot return anything, be it words or feelings.

Someone. Someone he could love and be loved back. Someone to hold him and whisper that it'll be alright, someone to talk to, someone to comfort.

He would cherish him forever, as long as he could do so. There was no denying that.

Leonardo was his, and there was no denying that either.

"_I love you._"

* * *

If Leonardo were asked to describe his lover, the first thing that would come to mind would be something among the lines of "_A very energetic, loving teddy bear._". Saying it aloud, however, was a different story.

The blond thought back to the soft fabric of the doll he had once owned long ago, but had lost at some point, he found himself missing it, but the brunet would always be everything he wished for. But he wasn't one to dwell on such mundane topics as children's toys. '_Act your age, we're still young!'_ he would say.

He was trying, at least. But still...

An energetic, loving teddy bear would be accurate. Very accurate. The familiar comfort always set in around when he was around him, despite how irritating he would get every now and then, but it was comforting all the same, a sign of normalcy even in the greatest chaos.

Simply spending time with him made him feel fuzzy and warm. _Fuzzy and warm, ha! How much you've influenced me..._

The archer shivered at the feeling of something brushing against the side of his neck. He looked up and chuckled, shaking his head slightly in mild exasperation.

Caring, comforting, uplifting, loving, a constant that he hoped will never leave.

Edward was here with him, and only that mattered for now.

"_I love you too._"


	7. Remember

**Day 7 - Remember**

**Two chapters in one day? Impossible. -laughs-**

**Takes place in Awakening.**

* * *

The Einherjar observed the battlefield, the blue aura around him wavering as he watched the enemy advance. Thy were powerful, and rapidly striking down the soldiers that had been sent here with him, most of them crumpling after the first blow with no chance to dodge or attack first. He frowned, running a hand through his hair in distaste. A distant, nagging voice at the back of his mind reminded him that he couldn't die, being nothing more than a spirit from a card, but one further back still screamed at him to run, to return, to try to find his way back home.

But that home was no more, as far as he knew. A part of a long-gone past, he was nothing but a copy of a man long dead.

The grip on his iron bow tightened as one lone myrmidon approached him with a blue light hanging around him, similar to his own, a long-range healer standing by just out of his bow's range. The phantom assessed the other one, finding that he was a bit more powerful than the opponent in front of him. But he had a healer backing him, and that wasn't to be forgotten. While he was observing, the other attacked, a quick slash that he was barely able to dodge, and still managed to graze the red tunic, which gave little to no protection. Hurriedly jumping back, he notched an arrow and let it fly, hitting the sword-wielder in the left shoulder. A cry of pain, before the swordsman gritted his teeth and pulled it out- Farther back, the archer briefly saw the healer lifting his staff and casting a Physic, healing his adversary.

Drat. Any hope of himself winning was thrown out the window. The brunet myrmidon charged forward again, assaulting him with a barrage of blows, while he himself did his best to defend and evade, and possibly do his own share of damage, even though he knew this was futile, considering that blasted healer lurking behind the wall with that damned Physic stave. This was, in no way, going in his favour.

Slamming his left fist in the archer's gut, the myrmidon sent the red-clad man stumbling backwards before falling to his knees, winded and in pain. He wheezed and grimaced, before glaring upwards at the brunet, who froze, a brief flash of recognition flashing across the dull eyes characteristic for an Einherjar.

"Who are you?" He asked, lowering his sword for a moment.

"That is none of your business. Now finish what you have started and end this now." The archer spat, blond locks falling in front of his face in disarray. He brushed them away, before bracing himself for the blow that was to come.

Except that it never came. Only a hand was offered to help him stand up. The blond stared at it in confusion- He didn't understand, why was the other offering help even though he had brought harm upon him?

"You are the enemy, I am your adversary. Why do you offer your hand to me?"

"You... I think I might have known you. Besides, we're of the same kind and origin, so I guessed-" The myrmidon paused, looking the other spirit up and down. "Never mind. So, are you up for joining our group?" Grinning, he gestured over to a white-haired tactician conversing with a blue-haired lord. The scene somehow seemed familiar to the blond, as if from an age long past- But he couldn't put his finger on why it seemed that way.

And that grin... He swore he knew that grin, too, better than he perhaps wished to. And at theat moment, the wish to find out who this brunet is began gnawing at him. Was he linked to the man he was based off of?

Perhaps. The only way to find out was to join this ragtag group of people, he supposed.

"Very well then. I might as well come along."

He could've sworn that the grin on the other's face grew ten times happier at hearing the news as he waved the tactician and blunet over. After a few hushed whispers, the lord then turned to the blond archer with a smile.

"Welcome aboard, Leonardo. We're the Shepherds."

* * *

Edward.

Edward.

That was the name of the Einherjar who had managed to recruit him. Edward.

The archer, utterly confused, held on to this name in his times slumbering within the cards. His only link to the past.

He had to remember at some point.


	8. Paper

**Day 8 - Paper  
**

**Slight reference to Day 2 - Forget**

* * *

Sometimes, during the nighttime, Leonardo would sit at his desk and put his thoughts to paper- Not in the form of writing, but of drawing. One wouldn't expect a hobby like that from the blond, but he was content with sketching whatever came to mind. All of his drawings were, however, immediately stashed away in a small drawer, out of sight and mind so no one would happen to simply happen to stumble across them. Today was no different, the paper and his face were illuminated only by the light of the candle next to him as the charcoal in his hand flitted over the paper, creating the shape of a face, nose, mouth and eyes, before moving on to the hair. He paused for a moment, examining the messy depiction of Laura, before chuckling to himself and adding an Aran next to her.

This was one time he let his imagination run wild.

He mainly drew the Dawn Brigade, occasionally drawing an animal or scenery, although his selection of drawing supplies was quite limited with only charcoal and a quill. But he didn't mind. It was better than nothing. Carefully putting the paper aside, he took an older sheet where the charcoal had almost faded, before turning it over and drawing on the back. No need to waste good materials.

But what to draw-?

Leonardo tapped his chin with the stick (which probably left a black smear on his face), before his eyes lit up. Ah yes, that one time-

And as soon as he thought of it, the drawing utensil was gliding over the parchment once more, the vague outlines of a meadow materializing, a certain brunet myrmidon along with it.

One that he happened to draw more often than the others.

* * *

A week later, Leonardo was honestly surprised when Edward suddenly stormed into the commons room, a few papers cradled in his arms as if he was afraid they would crumple up and be ruined.

"Leo!" he yelped, before jogging up, careful to not let any papers fall to the floor. Interestingly enough, the brunet was carrying them all face down. Said archer promptly got the stack shoved towards him.

"Explain!"

The blond blinked in confusion, before looking through the contents of the papers. His eyes widened as he recognised them.

"How in Tellius did you find these?"

Yes, the stack was nothing other than his drawings which he had put quite a bit of effort into, and to be frank, the archer was mortified. Why, he wouldn't know, but those papers were a vent of sorts. Which essentially meant that his emotions got transmitted through the sketches themselves. Oh gods, now he remembered why he was embarrassed.

He also happened to notice that this particular stack seemed to consist mainly of Edward doodles.

And the meadow-! Internally panicking, Leonardo looked up at said myrmidon, who was still waiting for an answer.

Wait, was Edward pouting?

Ashera above. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair in an exasperated manner, cheeks flushing slightly. That one picture, with the meadow. The brunet standing in front of him sitting among the plant life, a flower crown gingerly perched on his messy hair, a wide grin on his face. Looking back, he wondered what on earth possessed him to even draw that. But it did look nice.

"I never had any idea you could draw this well." he murmured, taking the stack back and leafing through it, ignoring his friend's protest to 'not look, it's horrible'.

He then squinted at that one particular image of himself in the field. "Wait, is that- Is that from the time you made me that crown-thingy?" The archer just silently nodded in response. An awkward silence passed between the two before Edward spoke up again.

"Leo, you should be in this picture, too."

Leonardo jumped slightly. "Wha-?"

"Just saying, if we were there together and you gave me the crown, shouldn't you be in this work of art too?"

"I..."

Blue eyes flitted back and forth between the Edward in the sketch and the one in front of him, obviously at a loss. "There was no space..." he finished lamely. He hadn't really thought of it. His partner just smiled at him, before making a rectangle with his fingers and pretending that they were a picture frame, framing Leonardo with them. The blond tilted his head and sighed, before shaking his head. Edward's smile turned into a grin.

"Then make space- there's still plenty of that on there, if you ask me." he chimed, pointing at a spot left empty, right next to the Edward in the picture. The archer didn't even know if he deliberately left that space anymore. Maybe he did.

Maybe.

* * *

The next day, Edward awoke to a strange tome lying on his desk, which was odd, he hardly ever used it, nor did he have any knowledge of magic. Yawning and stretching, he groaned, before rubbing at his eyes. Maybe the tome was Micaiah's. Or Pelleas'. However, as soon as he picked it up, a stray page fluttered out to the ground. The brunet stooped to pick it up, tired brown eyes suddenly becoming alert as he realises what it is.

Looks like Leonardo had found space in the picture for himself, after all.

It now depicted both of them, sitting in the field and laughing, The archer himself seemed to be placing the flower crown on the myrmidon.

Perfect.


	9. Countdown

**Day 9 - If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate...**

**-Modern-Day AU-**

* * *

Edward knew Leonardo never bothered checking the red numbers emblazoned on his wrist, always keeping them hidden with a wristband. Never had he told him what his countdown was, and frankly, the brunet worried that his blond friend was never meant to have one. A _soulmate_. And while he counted the days drawing closer to the numbers reaching zero, the other never did. Still, the former found himself looking forward to it. Leonardo sensed his glee, and was naturally happy for him, patiently listening to all of Edward's rants.

The blond himself actually had a rather negative opinion of the 'countdown', but he didn't speak of it that often, claiming that he wouldn't let a scripted fate simply assign him to someone he doesn't even know, that the relationship will feel forced that way. So every day, he kept the numbers out of sight, never even glancing at them.

But in truth, he was afraid of more than that.

That the numbers will suddenly stop counting and forever freeze, signaling that his other half will never meet. He was afraid of who he'll be stuck with, or who he'll never meet.

_Five minutes._

Edward was rocking back and forth on his heels in an anxious manner, schoolbag slung over his shoulder as the two waited for their train. Leonardo put a slender hand on the other's shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. There wasn't much time left. The station, however, was empty, noone was in sight. The brunet was becoming increasingly nervous, rubbing his wrist until it was red and sore. He began talking quickly, spitting out words in a rapid-fire pace, making it increasingly difficult for Leonardo to pick out the syllables and piece together the meaning of them.

"What if nobody comes? I've been waiting way too long..."

"And what if it's and old geezer? Or a teacher? Oh gods, that's gross, I don't think I can live with that-"

"And I swear, if Soren comes walking up, I'm gonna stab something-"

The words swirled into an endless babble as Edward glanced at his wrist again. Three minutes left. His companion sighed, moving to straighten the brunet's school uniform and comb his hair down, before stopping and fluffing it through again. It looked better messy, the blond thought to himself.

He was concerned, too. The train wasn't scheduled for another seven minutes.

_One minute left._

The rocking had gone to hopping and pacing, excitement slowly dipping down into anxiety. He wouldn't admit that he was on the verge of tears, not in front of Leo, no! But still, maybe he was right...

_Thirty seconds._

The blond stopped him and shook his head slowly, mouthing a '_Don't give up so easily_'. No train in sight. No other person besides the two on the platform. "It'll be fine."

_Twenty._

"Nobody's coming, Leo."

_Ten._

"Don't say that, I'm sure..."

_Five._

"Someone's bound to..."

_Four._

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

Edward's wrist glowed a brilliant red for a moment, before dimming down.

Nobody had come.

The brunet looked around, before deflating, the spark in his eyes dimming, flickering, going out as he sniffled. Leonardo looked around frantically.

_Oh no._

"... You were right."

"Edward?"

No answer was heard. Brown eyes became watery as he harshly wiped the tears away with a sleeve. How dearly he wanted to sink into the ground now. Edward hiccuped and threw his arms around Leonardo, crying silently, making the other's shirt damp, but the taller boy didn't seem to mind. Awkwardly hugging back, he patted the other's back in an attempt to console him. It helped, a little, at least. That's when he accidentally caught a glimpse of his own wrist.

It was glowing under the plain black wristband, in a way similar to how Edward's had. The blond loosened his grip, hesitated, then took it off.

_0Y 0M 0D 0m 0s_

Leonardo looked at his still sobbing brunet friend, before grabbing him by the shoulders and muttering. "Look at your wrist." The other complied.

The red zeros had started glowing again. Hiccoughing, but still unable to speak properly, he looked around, bewildered.

Leonardo was the only person in the vicinity. And he was holding up his wrist, the red numbers flashing like his were.

"... What?"

"The countdown... The countdown must've been off."

Edward hiccoughed, blinked once, twice, before breaking out into a grin and an exasperated laugh, throwing his arms around the blond anew, mumbling thank yous and oh my gods over and over again.

Leonardo glady returned the gesture.


	10. Laugh

**Day 10 - Laugh**

**Warning ahead for second-hand embarassment.**

* * *

"Just... Leave me alone for a while. Please."

Edward stared at his friend, brow creased in worry. Every now and then, the blond had a tendency to pull himself back into his little bubble, but this was the first time he had indirectly told him to go away.

Sure, he actually just said he wanted to be alone, but the brunet certainly took it that way. Leonardo sighed, shaking his head at the hurt expression on the other's face. The archer had halfway expected for the myrmidon to be mildly peeved at the statement, but he certainly didn't expect the kicked puppy look. But he resisted, turned away and walked off to his room, closing the door almost silently besides the squeak of the hinges.

"What's his problem?" Edward muttered, crossing his arms and pouting. The slightly introverted behaviour of his partner was normal, but never this much... Maybe something was bothering him? If that was the case, what exactly was bothering him? He had to get to the bottom of this-

And if he couldn't, the least he could do is cheer him up.

Because that's what best friends do, right?

* * *

_Knock, knock._

The blond looked up from where he had collapsed on his bed to think, glaring at the door. Before promptly re-burying his face in his pillow, hiding under the sheets. Perhaps a 'go away' would be fitting, but that would be terribly rude. So he opted to remain silent instead.

Whoever was outside knocked again.

"Hey, Leo!"

Edward, of course. Then again, he could've thought that the brunet would insist in not leaving him alone, much to his irritation. But once he had set his sights on something, he wouldn't let it go. So, he got up, painfully slowly and stretching, before dragging himself over to the door, hoping Edward would've left while he was stalling and moving at the speed of a snail. Or a very fat bird.

No such luck, of course. Leonardo squinted at the cheeky grin on the other's face, before groaning and slumping back off to the bed and collapsing on it in a heap. The brunet followed, seating himself next to him, much to the blond's annoyance.

"Sure you don't wanna talk about it?"

The archer muttered something through his pillow which sounded suspiciously like a 'no'.

Edward simply tilted his head. "Come again?"

"Not now Edward. Just... Wake me up when it's dinnertime. I'm tired." Silence, before the weight next to him lifted itself off the bed with a creak.

"Alright." Said brunet whispered, before closing the door softly, as to not disturb his friend.

At least he had some sense of personal space. But Leonardo felt oddly... Hollow, after sending him away. Shrugging it off, he curled up under the sheets, drifting off into a light, but dreamless, sleep.

Edward would be back later, he was sure of that.

* * *

"Leo, buddy! Dinnertime!"

Warily blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he sat up with a groan and squinted at the door, where a particularly impatient brunet was waiting for him to get up so he could drag him off for dinner. He knew it. Rolling out of bed and landing on the floor with a thud, the lethargic and spacey blond hauled himself to his feet, rubbing his (somewhat numb) face. Edwards put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from diving back on his bed or toppling over. Leonardo wasn't sure if he should be thankful or annoyed.

Moments later (which actually was because of Edward dragging him to the table as soon as they were out of the room), the two were sitting among the rest of their company. The meal for today was a vegetable stew of some sorts, not much, but still better than nothing. Not to mention that it was made by Micaiah and Laura, with help from Aran (who was a surprisingly good kitchen helper).

Pretty much everybody dug in eagerly, although some with more refine with others.

Dinner wasn't too loud, as always, besides the usual friendly banter and casual conversation. Edward lightly elbowed Leonardo in the side to gain his attention.

"Am I Micaiah? Because I see a future ahead of us." he whispered, with a grin plastered onto his face. The other blinked. Micaiah glanced over at them briefly at the mention of her name, but shrugged and went back to her conversation with Meg.

Edward didn't stop with the seemingly random sentences there. "Hey, I need to raise my sword level. Mind if I practice on you?" Blue eyes narrowed slightly at him in suspicion.

"What on earth-"

"Are you an interior decorator? Because when you entered, the whole room became beautiful."

"Edward, what-"

"Hold on, I got another one. What did Ike say when Haar told a joke at his expense?"

"What."

"Haar, Haar, Haar." Jill's head whipped around at that one, a smile barely repressed as she tried to not laugh and keep a straight face.

Then Sothe spoke up. "Well, I have to say, with that big mouth of yours you might as well block axes with your face." This got an embarrassed splutter from Edward and a snort from Nolan.

"Oh c'mon guys, this is a private conversation here!" he yelped in response, gesturing at a still very confused Leonardo. Poor, oblivious Leonardo.

"Sure, if private conversations include throwing horrible pickup lines at the poor guy!" Somebody- Probably Aran, still in the kitchen- yelled. How on earth had he even heard all that?

I think we can agree that he may or may not have eyes at the back of his head. Zihark was quietly snickering to himself at the entire situation.

That's when it all dawned upon the archer as his blue eyes widened fractionally, before narrowing and staring at Edward.

"Were you honestly trying to cheer me up with pickup lines, of all things?" he asked, expression dangerously neutral, one eyebrow raised. The brunet nodded meekly. The inhabitants of the room grew quiet, to see what happened next.

The blond's shoulders started shaking, while he covered his face with his hands. Edward's eyes flickered back and forth between everybody else, the ceiling and his friend.

_Oh gods, did I fuck up?_

"Pff..." The blond trembled again, before-

Bursting into full-out laughter, tears of mirth brimming in his eyes. The other's could've sworn he had snorted.

"Of all the idiotic things you've ever done, this takes the cake, Ed. How on Earth did you even think of those?"

Blinking blankly, the brunet stared at his companion. Before cracking a grin and chuckling bashfully as well.

But he was glad he managed to cheer his friend up.

Soon, the contagious laughter spread throughout the entire room, and the atmosphere turned much merrier.

A very confused Fiona was standing in the doorway at that time, too.

"What did I miss?"


	11. Hair

**Day 11 - Hair**

**I'm really sorry this is coming up so late, my time at the computer has just been consumed by other things lately. I'll try to return to semi-consistent updates now. I won't ever give up on this project, though.**

* * *

Edward was slightly peeved, to say the least. Leonardo was looking more tired than he normally was, and in short, it worried him. And he hated being worried, gods damn it. The blond had been neglecting his appearance, which was extremely out of character for him. And more importantly, his hair had lost its familiar shine and began developing split ends, and worst of all, he completely forgot to brush it on some days.

Welp, this was a huge problem. With a tiny frown settled on his face, the myrmidon watched his partner wander off in a seemingly random direction.

The archer dragged himself into the armory almost like a zombie and began tending to the bows and other weapons, but primarily the bows. Long strands of hair fell in front of his face as he scowled, staring down at one particular arrow that seemed crooked if he held it one way, but was straight otherwise.

Perhaps he was tired.

Yes, maybe that was it.

With a grunt, he heaved himself to his feet, closing his eyes momentarily as the world spun for a split second, bringing a headache with it. Then he headed off to his shared tent with Edward to read a book, and maybe calm his nerves. Carefully pushing the flap aside, he picked out a seemingly random book on history and sat down at the desk, lighting a candle to illuminate the small space.

* * *

Within half an hour, he had fallen asleep, the fatigue finally having caught up with him.

Another half hour later, Edward entered and spotted the blond soundly sleeping with his face buried in the book. The brunet barely stifled a laugh at the sight. Leonardo shifted slightly and brought his arms up to use as a pillow with a slight grumble.

Which still had the standard archer gauntlets on it. Why on earth did he still have those on?

But despite the rather uncomfortable facepillow, he seemed rather peaceful, more at peace than Edward had seen him for days. But the tight ponytail he put his hair in seemed odd... It resembled Shinon's more than anything else at the moment, and in all honesty, it looked horribly uncomfortable. He quietly snuck towards the other and pulled out the hairtie, letting the gold tresses fall out of place. And to his great disappointment, they were still neglected and tangled, unlike the silky hair he usually ran his fingers through every now and then.

With a determined 'hmph', he combed his fingers through the other's locks gently, trying to untangle them without rousing him from his sleep. He continued the action, until a certain voice broke his concentration.

"Edward, what on earth are you doing?"

Caught red-handed. Said brunet froze, one hand still partially entangled. Leonardo was awake.

Well, it was kind of obvious he'd wake up from all that, but still.

"Uh, you see-" The myrmidon began, withdrawing his hand, before the archer stopped him.

"No, nevermind. You can continue. Just- What are you trying to do?"

Edward hesitated on the answer, running his fingers though the other's hair again, nervous because he couldn't read Leonardo's facial expression, although the tone sounded... Happy, almost.

"Well, you fell asleep on the desk, and you kind of looked like a mess and, uh-" 'Another pause as he gulped. Way to be too direct, Eddie.

The blond only nodded, and it was safe to assume that he was smiling softly.

Silence passed between the two as Edward continued to sort out the strands, then he spoke, almost whispering. Leonardo nearly missed what he said.

"Why haven't you been taking care of it lately?"

"Taking care of what?"

...

"Oh." The blond reached towards his hairtie and began playing around with it. "Personal issues, there's no need to worry about it..."  
Leonardo froze as Edward shot him the '_That's bullshit and you know it_' look, even though he couldn't see it- But he could literally feel brown eyes almost boring holes in the back of his head, envision the furrowed brows and the frown.

"It's just... I guess the realisation of the war is getting to me. Those people at the other side are like us, have friends, family, gods know. If we kill them... What does that mean for those people?"Closing his eyes, the blond waited for a dismayed response or a snide comment on how _cowardly_ he was, but he only received a little sigh in response.

The brunet shook his head in understanding, even if Leonardo couldn't see the action. "It's not fair, right? That's why we're fighting, we're trying to protect everybody from any more pain, right? Sitting around and wallowing won't help. We have to fight to stop this, it's too late to try to do otherwise..."

Another pause in conversation as Edward buried his face in the nape of the other's neck, pressing a light kiss to it. The other shuddered.

"Don't disregard your health over it, Leo. We'll get through this, and you can't afford getting yourself sick now, right?" he murmured, before pulling away and making to sit on the desk. The blond smiled.

"Alright."


	12. Ice Cream

**Day 12 - Ice Cream**

**Dedicated to the unbearably hot weather. I can't handle high temperatures.**

**Whoops, looks like the update got delayed again- Activity on my Tumblr's been exploding lately, and with video games distracting me as well, it's been hard for me to get these up. Especially since I've been running out of themes, but that got backed up by my dear friend, so I have a vague plan of what I'll be writing next. Also, shoutout to the two reviewers, especially the one who reviewed_ twice_\- Thank you so much!  
**

**Once again, sorry, and enjoy!**

**I have almost zero idea of how US school systems work. Please bear with any mistakes because this will probably turn out as a freakish mash-up between German and American schools.**

**-Modern AU-**

* * *

Leonardo watched Edward skip down the street, backpack hanging over his shoulder haphazardly and jacket just inches away from dragging in the ground. Why did he even bring one in the first place? It was unbearably hot- But then again, he wasn't one to talk, as the blond was the one dragging himself along in a long sleeved blouse and black pants, of all things. Despite Radiant High not having a dress code. And that lead to a few walking fashion disasters in the hallways. Seriously, why would anyone ever think socks with sandals is a good idea?

That aside, how did the brunet still even have this much energy anyways? Weren't they just swamped with exams? It was a good thing the holidays weren't too far away now. The taller snorted as he weakly kicked a rock away, trying not to slouch. His shoulder hurt from the sidebag filled with textbooks, bouncing against his hip as he trudged along.

At this, Edward stopped and turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, what's wrong, Leo? Heat getting to you?"

Leonardo only answered by rolling his eyes and giving him a glare that just screamed _'No shit, Sherlock'_. He then proceeded to drag himself further, but was stopped by his friend. He let out a sigh, combing the stray strands of blond hair from his face. "What _now_, Ed."

"Hey, I don't want you suddenly collapsing of heatstroke. C'mon, at least fold your sleeves up, I'm feeling overheated just looking at you. In fact, while we're at it, why don't we go get us something cold- Ice cream! Yeah! My treat." Said brunet flashed him a grin after he finished speaking, pointing off into the distance, presumably in the direction of the ice-cream parlor. The taller student's brow only furrowed skeptically.

"Knowing you, you probably forgot your wallet at home. But admittedly, it does sound great right now."

Edward looked panicked for a moment, before giving the other a look of mock hurt, grabbing his bag and shuffling through it, probably looking for his wallet. His jacket slid off his shoulder and landed on the asphalt. A few seconds later, he took out a red and grey wallet and beamed.

"See, it's right here!" The brunet waved it in his classmate's face for emphasis. "I didn't forget it this time! Take that!"

Leonardo smiled back slightly. "Well, what a surprise. So, off to ice cream?"

The other's grin grew wider, if possible, as he shoved his wallet back into his bag and retrieved his jacket. "Yep! Mission: Cool Leo Off, commence!"

"Hey wait, this isn't a mission-"

He was cut off as he was swooped off his feet in a single, fluid motion and carried away bridal style by a maniacally cackling Edward.

* * *

Said boy was winded when they were there, to the point of almost dropping the profusely blushing and protesting blond on the floor. The latter quickly jumped to his feet and brushed his pants off, muttering under his breath unintelligibly.

By the time he got his footing back, Edward was at the glass display, drooling over the near absurd assortment of flavours. Leonardo groaned in exasperation. Wasn't he panting to get his breath back a few seconds ago? His stamina never ceased to amaze him. He walked up to the display as well, letting his gaze flit over the usual flavors he enjoyed.

And predictably, Edward was taking forever to make up his mind.

"Oh god, fudge looks nice, but so does caramel- But apple looks neat, too- Oh dear lord, is that cookies and cream?" Yep, definitely drooling. He wasn't sure if he should just pretend not to know him, but decided against it. He's his best friend, after all.

Okay, maybe a bit more than that. Anywho.

From the corner of his eye, the brunet saw Leonardo stepping in to help him out as always, ordering something he didn't quite catch. Brown eyes looked up from the display curiously. Wait, didn't he promise to pay?

It was too late, anyways. And yet here he was, fumbling for that goddamned wallet- Why'd he stuff it so deep in his bag, again? The other was already walking over, an ice cream cone in each hand, his own black leather wallet wedged under his arm.

Two vanilla ice cream cones with a waffle on top. Can't go wrong with the classics.

"Well, here you go." he said, handing him one. Edward took it gratefully but still looked a bit disappointed that he couldn't pay.

"I'm gonna pay you back tomorrow."

"Wha- You don't have to do that-"

"No objections! I was the one who offered in the first place, anyways!"

* * *

They'd finally taken a seat after the small, friendly dispute (gaining quite and amount of stares from the others there) and were happily lounging around, enjoying their ice cream.

"Yup, hits the spot." Edward commented, taking a bite out of the cone, in result smearing a bit of the dessert on his upper lip. Leonardo nodded in agreement, before laughing at the sight. Leaning forward, he carefully wiped the smudge off with his finger.

"There we go."

And while he was distracted, the brunet had taken a bite of his as well. The blond stared, horrified, before pouting slightly. Edward only snickered in response.

"Hey!"

"Whoops."


	13. Text Messages

**Day 13 - Text Messages**

**Fixed a few typos in earlier chapters. Yay for me.**

**A lot of modern AU ideas flying around my head right now, sorry. I just had a huge influx of inspiration for this, and entire four ideas, two of which are linked to eachother- Not so sure if updates will come quickly, though.**

**This one feels a bit lacking, though. I might rewrite it to flow better at some point...**

**It's just a piece of life, to be honest. Their relationship here could be platonic, could be romantic.**

**Is it just me, or are my A/Ns slowly growing longer? I have to stop rambling now.**

**Thank you for your patience!**

**-Modern AU-**

* * *

Brown eyes opened as the brunet rolled over with a quiet groan. He couldn't sleep, but he couldn't really pinpoint why- And being awake alone at night with nothing to do was no fun at all. The lights from outside seeped in between the cracks in the curtains, the passing person's shadow going by occasionally. Edward hummed to himself absent mindedly.

It was lonely and his blanket was overkill and it was way too hot. No way he could sleep like this.

So, what else to do than to call for company?

Sure, he'd probably kill him, but he didn't care. Punching in a quick message, he tapped send and waited.

Not too long now. Grinning in anticipation, he went to grab himself a bag of gummy worms, smartphone in hand.

* * *

_Ding!_

His phone buzzed next to his bed, beeping and lighting up, irritating him. Leonardo blindly groped at his sidetable for the blasted thing. Can't he even get a good night's sleep for once?

After accidentally making it fall off the small table and dropping it twice, he unlocked the screen clumsily and squinted at the tiny letters.

_(1) new message_

The blond groaned. He already had an idea who it was.

_(Eddie): ay u ther e_

Of course. Leonardo fought the urge to stomp over to the brunet's dorm to punch him in the face. What was he thinking, sending him a pointless text at _one in the fucking morning_? Blinking as aggressively as humanly possible, he punched in a text.

_(Leo): Edward why are you even up you jackass_

_(Leo): And why are you waking me up_

_(Leo): It's one AM_

He didn't have to wait long for the reply- Edward most likely was staring his phone down on the other side.

_(Eddie): whoaa bruh clam down_

_(Eddie): i cant sl e e p_

_(Eddie): cn i cpme iver_

_(Eddie): .v._

On second thought, the 'punch in the face' part might work. Edward was in for a world of pain and maybe a black eye. Or Leonardo was. Do not underestimate the other's physical strength. Making a mental note of that, the blond got to replying.

_(Leo): Your typing sure siunds like you need sleepright noe_

_(Leo): *sounds, sleep right, now_

_(Leo): And no_

_(Eddie): wow i rll did wake u up jsut now lma o_

_(Eddie): n come onnnn u could. idk_

_(Eddie): come ovr 2 my place pls_

Ignoring the obvious spelling mistakes, he snorted. No way was he going after the brunet woke him up so rudely. Leonardo put the phone aside and laid back down with a grumble. Five minutes passed, and another message came.

_Sent: come on dude im all alone man don t leave me hangin buddy_

Blinking slowly, he opened the file, only to find a selfie of Edward in the dark, staring up at the camera with puppy eyes, mussed hair and a pack of gummy worms on his lap. A sloppily written 'please?' was in the bottom corner.

Gods. This was ridiculous, even for his standards.

_(Leo): Why the hell man_

_(Eddie): reaons now y or n_

_(Leo): ..._

_(Leo): I'm coming over for the gummy worms okay_

_(Eddie): n not 4 this booty?_

_(Leo): Fuck you i change my mind_

_(Eddie): k, c u in 10 ;P_

* * *

Edward's head shot up at the sound of a knock on the door- Wait, not a knock, it sounded like Leonardo was close to kicking the door in with platform shoes or high heels. It probably just was those shoes that looked more like dress shoes or women's shoes that he always wore. Haha, Leo in high heels. Imagine that!

He ran to the door and almost tore it off its hinges opening it, meeting face-to-face with an absolutely livid blond. Edward only grinned, ducking down to avoid a punch that was obviously meant for his face. Looks like Leonardo kept true to his word.

"Come on in!" he chirped in return to the blue-eyed glare shot his way.

Leonardo promptly collapsed on the floor as soon as he was inside, rolling over onto his back, muttering about this being a bad idea, no matter how much vacation they had at the moment. The brown-eyed male blatantly ignored him, blabbering excitedly and starting up his Wii U, sliding in a disc.

Only moments later were they engrossed in a particularly violent game of Mario Kart 8, the two of them screaming bloody murder at each other and the other players.

Ah, the magic of online play.

"GOD DAMN IT YOU TOTALLY THREW THAT BLUE SHELL ON PURPOSE YOU _DICK_"

"I had no choice."

* * *

A few hours later, Edward was clinging to Leonardo's arm, twitching every time a jump scare came on the screen.

You guessed it.

Horror movie time.

Suggested by the latter, of course, to get back at the former for waking him up. And being stubborn as he was, he didn't back down. Not that the blue-eyed boy liked horror, either, but Edward's reactions were amusing nonetheless.

At a particularly gory scene, the blond offered his friend a handful of chips. Edward declined, looking a little green around the nonexistent gills. Leonardo laughed and ate one himself. The other only jumped again and shrieked (rather girlishly, I might add) and nearly pushed him over, causing the bowl of chips to fall on the floor. It was kind of funny to see how taken he was by the special effects, thugh this wasnt what he actually wanted.

The blond sighed as his brunet friend fell off the couch.

"I'm not cleaning that up."

* * *

It was getting light outside, and the two were now just lying inside the pillow fort Edward had managed to build. Leonardo was reading a book he had brought, while the pillow fort's creator was playing Solitaire. Said brunet was bored out of his mind now.

His thoughts went back to the smartphone in his pocket. A grin made its way onto his lips. Taking it out, he took a photo of Leonardo, tapped in something hurriedly and waited.

The phone in the blond's pocket buzzed. The grin grew cheekier.

_-Snapchat from tempestblade-_

_ did it hurt when u fell from heavn?__  
_

Blue eyes flitted to him, unamused. He snickered, looking away to hide it, but during that time, he heard a tiny click.

"Hey!"

Leonardo smirked in triumph, pulling up Snapchat and drawing little horns and wings on the other.

_-Snapchat from_ _pensiveorder-_

_I found a devil in my house should I pour holy water on him_

The snapchat war quickly escalated as one of them- they weren't sure who- accidentally sent one of theirs to Ranulf. Which happened to be the one with the caption _'id tap that'_ and both of them on the picture. In which the blond was yelling at Edward in a flustered manner and the other was still grinning. (It was probably Edward.)

Of course, it quickly turned into a selfie war via Facebook. At six in the morning. Soren flipping the bird and Ike sneaking up behind him must have been one of the the best ones out of all of them, although Tormod had a few highlights, too, involving Ghostbusters, for some absurd reason. Rhys leaving an angry, all caps status was amusing as well. Did any of these people ever sleep? Either that, or they woke up absurdly early. This week off was going to hell.

Especially on that morning.

In the end, both of them collapsed from the all-nighter around eight and woke up around lunchtime, only to go to McDonalds. The rest of the day was, thankfully, relatively uneventful, and both of them went to sleep fairly early.

* * *

_time skip_

* * *

_Ding!_

_(Eddie): RNVERGENYC BRIGN ICERCEA N NO W  
_

"... You have got to be kidding me."


	14. Music

**Day 14 - Music  
**

**This one had to come at some point. It just had to. Haha.**

**Because Leonardo playing cembalo/piano/harpsichord/organ is a must, really. Harpsichord here, though, Organ would be too loud and pianos didn't exist back then. Him raging at the thing would also be kind of fun to imagine.  
**

* * *

Calloused fingers danced across the ivory keys, before stopping briefly. And then slamming against the instrument in frustration, creating a horribly loud clanging sound. The archer laid his head on the harpsichord with a groan. How was he supposed to play for Micaiah's celebration and the ball afterwards if he was so rusty at this? He should've known not to mention that he used to play. Keyword _used to_, because it was such a long time ago. Leonardo straightened back up and began once more, slightly slower than the last time.

The war had taken a toll on him, it seemed, especially his former hobbies. And being shoved into a high position of the army had, as well.

would do this, he promised after all.

But still, it was easier said than done. There was no way he would get it perfected before the ball came. Or so he thought.

The melody echoed throughout the otherwise silent chamber, ending in a frustrated keymash again.

This would really take a while.

* * *

Just when he decided to drop Leo a surprise visit, he wasn't there. Just great. Edward huffed and kicked a rock as he strolled though the courtyard, where several young soldiers were sparring or loitering around. The trueblade gave them a thumbs-up and mouthed for them to keep going, before approaching one archer (who must've only enrolled a short while ago, but seemed to have learned from Leonardo himself, from the stances he took).

"Hey, do you know where your tutor went?"

"Oh! Are you Sir Edward?"

The brunet's brow furrowed at the title slightly. He wasn't anywhere close to a noble or anything, yet he was being addressed to as if he were one. Didn't he live a completely normal life without formal stress and stuff? Last he checked, he did.

"Uh, yeah, but can you drop the titles? I'm no noble."

The young man's eyes widened as he began apologising profusely. The trueblade waved it off with a laugh.

"Anyways, as I said, can you tell me where Leo- nardo is?" he asked again, tripping over the nickname he usually used for his partner. He doubted the blond would appreciate the students calling him Leo, so...

The young archer fumbled with his bow, avoiding eye contact and mumbled something under his breath, before actually speaking out loud.

"Sir Leonardo wished to have some time to himself for the day, I believe to finish a project for the Queen herself. I'm not quite sure, r-really-"

Edward gave the teen a firm pat on the head with a grin. "Thanks. I'll be off then." The boy froze, then went slack is surprise, only staring after the older brown-haired male in awe. As he was leaving, he could distinctly hear the student running to the others and excitedly talking about the fact that the myrmidon of the Dawn Brigade had just visited. Said trueblade snickered quietly to himself, before going inside. Trainees were just so fun to talk to!

* * *

After wandering around the halls of the keep for what seemed like hours (but in reality was just a few minutes at most), he heard the sound of some kind of instrument. And a melody he semi-remembered from his days in the streets of Nevassa. Ah, good times. (Not really.) Curious, he approached the nearest door, to a hall if he remembered correctly. Edward hadn't been here in forever.

Turning the knob slightly, he opened it slightly, almost unnoticeably. The trueblade only got a glimpse of the instrument, a... happywhatsit? Before the music was interrupted by and angry snort and a quiet curse. From a familiar voice, at that.

He threw the door wide open to confirm his suspicions. So apparently this 'project for Micaiah' was making music. Leo was taking a day off for this? The blond didn't look like he noticed the other entering the room and was resting his head against the harpsichord, eyes closed tightly and face contorted into a grimace. It wasn't perfect yet, and that frustrated him to no end.

Edward trotted over to the distressed marksman and put his hand on the latter's shoulder.

"You okay there?" No answer. So, obviously not okay. The blue-eyed male just sighed loudly, bordering a groan.

Then straightened up and began playing again, eyes opening and squinting at his hands. The other just loitered around at his side.

"So, what exactly are you up to?"

A loud clang came from the harpsichord as the marksman slammed his fists against it. His lips were pressed into a thin line.

"My apologies about that. I'm supposed to be playing a piece or two for the upcoming ball that her Majesty has planned for next week."

Wow, stuffy. Edward frowned and leaned over his shoulder to get a better look. then cautiously put a hand out to press down a key. A single 'twang' resounded through the hall.

"Oh, okay. There was a ball for this week?"

"Why are you so surprised- You didn't know?"

"Nah."

"I thought so. You want to come?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not? After all, free food."

Leonardo hummed in response. He could sure use a break at the moment, and Edward seemed to be giving him exactly that. The brunet then popped a question that completely threw the blond off. "Hey, you know any folk songs? Y'know, commoner stuff?"

"Er, perhaps. Are there any in particular that you know?"

The trueblade just shrugged. Well, that helped. "Maybe I can kind of sing along to something?"

"I don't see why not."

The archer once again began playing, his companion quickly catching on to the melody and singing along quite well. No lyrics, however, which the blond found too bad.

At some point, the brunet fell silent, but Leonardo continued playing. A minute later, Edward joined in once more, mumbling lyrics incoherently to himself. Again, he stopped playing for a moment.

"Where did you learn to sing like that?"

"Had to find some way to scrounge money. Street performing, you know?"

"Oh."

Silence passed between the two as the marksman sort of stared at his companion, before standing up and brushing off invisible dust particles from his tunic. "Either way, I believe I've had enough for today." He began walking towards the double doors, when Edward grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Don't stress yourself too much." Leonardo brushed him off with a smile.

"Alright. And are you going to come to the ball or no?"

The trueblade grinned in reply. "Course I am. Gotta watch you play, right?" The other's smile grew a bit more genuine.

"There's still time for you to come over. Are you up for it?"

"Why would I not be?"

And so the two exited together, joking and laughing all the way.


	15. Rivalry

**Day 15 - Enemies  
**

**A slightly different take than normal. Just imagine- Since their personalities are so different, dont you think that they could've hated eachother in the beginning? Slightly painful to write, but fun at the same time. Also made Leo a bit meaner than I intended to, but I swear, it was an accident.  
**

**Longest chapter so far, whoop! The end feels rushed, though. I'm gettign the sneaking suspiscion that this might've fit better in a multi-chapter thing...  
**

**-Modern AU-**

* * *

"I can't _stand _that stuck-up bastard!" Edward bellowed, punching a wall abruptly. His conversation partner, Volug, remained silent, simply listening to the myrmidon-in-training rant his heart out about his classmate- It was a near-daily occurence by now. The classmate in question? A certain blond noble, specialising in archery- and one of the best students in the grade: Leonardo. He'd told on him for something that he _didn't do, _being the uptight little shit he is, following the rules but at the same time _only his own._ How did he _do_ that, the darned teacher's pet? Yes, he usually was pretty thoughtful and almost nice, but as soon as he saw him, he turned into fucking demon-spawn. (Exaggeration intended.)

"That stuck-up, girly-as-fuck _bitch_!" he swore again, continuing his stream of curses at the other, opening his locker with a bit too much force, the resounding thud drawing the attention of a few others. The brunet shoved his books in hastily, making them spill out of the locker again. The laguz standing next to him could obviously tell that the boy was in a _very_ foul mood, which was rare, so he kept his mouth shut.

Another string of huffs whispered profanity spilled forth as he stooped down to gather up the mess of textbooks. Which happened to catch the attention of the aforementioned blond, who had been strolling by with a professional-looking poker face when he spotted his archenemy- Er, rival, scrambling to get the literature back into a semi-neat pile. He sneered. Volug, on the other hand, bristled, having a good idea of what would conspire next, but Edward was angrier about the situation than he usually was... Yet the canine made no move to stop the archer.

"Why hello, Edward." he drawled, expression disinterested and apathetic, but eyes still having that cold glint of obvious dislike. Was that malice? Maybe. His blue gaze looked down on the myrmidon as if he were a bug he was about to crush with his boot. Said male stiffened, before standing up and turning around, fixating the offender with a glare that didn't fit on the usually happy-go-lucky and optimistic boy's face. Leonardo nearly flinched back. Nearly.

Four words in a completely flat and deadpan tone. "What do you want." It sounded more like a statement than a question, as if he was trying to dismiss the other before he even began speaking. It didn't work, as anticipated. Edward resisted the unbearably strong urge to just drop all the books he was carrying on Leonardo's foot and listen to him scream. Said student simply tilted his head upwards, conveying a regal and superior (in Edward's eyes, conceited) air.

"My, my, how rude. I was just going to ask how you were doing." A pause, the smirk returning to his face. "A little bird told me you got a C in Magical Theory, isn't that true? You're losing your touch."

The brunet snarled in reply, shoving the stack of his books into Volug's arms (who let out a bark in surprise) and stormed over to the other, fists balled. He didn't strike out, however, as they remained at his sides.

"Says the person who failed the twenty-five-minute stamina run. Slowpoke." he bit back. The smirk fell somewhat on the blond-haired boy's face, blue eyes glinting with well-concealed anger. The laguz in the background sighed, neatly putting the books in the locker for his comrade. Here they go again.

"Then again, sports isn't that important, isn't it? You're the myrmidon here. Archers have no need for such."

"Yeah, right. Try saying that when you have thirty brigands chasing you down, screaming for blood. Besides, magic isn't important for swordsmen, either."

A long, slender, accusing finger was pointed at Edward, the archer's other hand resting on his hip in an impatient and outgoing manner. "Oh, really. Wind Edges, Tempest Blades and Levin Swords all function on the basis of magic and require knowledge on it, which you don't seem to possess." the blond scoffed, slightly miffed because what Edward was arguing with did make _some_ sense, he had a point. He could feel himself losing the upper hand, but persisted and continued. "Their extended range gives their wielders a great advantage in combat but you wouldn't know much about that, right?"

_That's it, the dumb fuck stepped over the line._ The throughly enraged myrmidon lunged for the archer, who attempted to sidestep out of the way, but was still caught in Edward's grip and tackled to the ground with a startled shriek.

In hindsight, the archer realised that it wasn't an especially good idea to piss the brunet off so much, especially since he realised from the beginning that something seemed off about him that day. Their spats usually ended with one of them walking away, fuming, but _this_ situation had not occurred yet. But it was bound to occur at some point. Now the two were grappling on the ground, screaming, kicking, flailing and cursing before Edward succeeded in pinning Leonardo down completely, hands over his head and the not-exactly lightweight myrmidon straddling his waist, rendering the blond unable to move, much less push the other away. A triumphant bark of laughter was heard from the victor of the miniature wrestling match.

"See, P.E. _is_ important! Man, I expected more of a fight from you." he gloated, leaning in for emphasis, much too close for comfort in Leonardo's opinion, but the brown-haired boy obviously didn't care at the moment.

"Don't touch me!" he hissed back, writhing to get out of his grasp. In vain.

"Wow, no wonder you were classed into the archer class so quickly, you're basically a toothpick. You could be mistaken for a mage." Edward leaned in further, noses almost touching. "That is, if you can even _use_ magic. Archers don't have a single magical bow to call their own, right?"

Leonardo swore in frustration, kicking wildly and damning the brunet into every hell in every possible dimension. Which was a lot. Ouch. Ignoring the blond's insults, the myrmidon stood up quickly and walked off.

That would show him not to mess with him anymore. Edward could feel the other's glare bore into his back, but heck, nothing could bring him down from this triumph right now.

* * *

"We will be doing a small project soon, it will be done in pairs."

Loud cheers rang from the class as the Forging teacher, Daniel, announced this. As soon as the loud whooping died down, he continued with a devilish smile that put all the students in unease. This didn't look good.

"However, I will personally be choosing the pairs." Loud groaning and complaining was heard from the pupils. The brunet continued, unfazed. "The project will be choosing a complex weapon, such as a Killing Edge, Venin Lance or any weapon that gives one a stat boost, making a weapon with similar stats, and then presenting it along with the correct weight and attributes, it's history and from what materials it is made of and so forth. Now, the first partners..."

He rattled down a number of names, putting together people who hardly worked together on purpose like he would always do when choosing pairs, making the grumbling grow larger in volume. He still didn't give a shit.

Meanwhile, Edward was chewing on his nails nervously, hoping he wouldn't end up with a slacker or someone unpleasant or ditzy. Because that would be catastrophic for his grade and would probably result in even more teasing, and he did _not_ want that. Nope. His eyes flitted over to Leonardo, who was staring out the window, uninterested.

That is, until Daniel figuratively set hell loose on the class. Or was it literally? Either way, the class suddenly fell silent.

"Leonardo and Edward, you will be working together." He said with a wink, as if _knowing_ that this wouldn't end well. Ranulf leaned over to Janaff and whispered something into his ear, upon which the hawk shuddered.

The two sat in shocked silence, before both of them leaped up and began yelling, Leonardo pounding his fist on his desk like some kind of judge and Edward gesturing wildly at the blond, both cursing and complaining incoherently and very, _very_ angrily. The teacher at the front just laughed and waved it off, his tone carrying somewhat of a threatening hint.

"If you don't work together, it's a pretty secure F, and I'm sure neither of you want that."

Silence once more, then the two sat down, defeated, but not without a glare at both the blue-eyed man and eachother. Mia snickered in the back as Daniel clasped his hands together with a sweet and misleading smile as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, please find a good weapon to work with, and I look forward to seeing your results!"

* * *

The archer slumped against the wall and groaned. If looks could kill, Edward would've died three times already at the least. But they couldn't, and the brunet had an equally sour face at the entire situation. Standing in the hallway and basically forced to carry cordial conversation and not argue, just so that they could get this project over with and never talk to eachother again. Whoop-dee-dingle-doo, this was _exactly_ how he wanted to spend his day. (Not.) Leonardo straightened up a little and crossed his arms.

"So, what're we going to take?"

Edward shrugged. "Preferably a sword." Cue facepalm.

"Well, we could just as well take bows, but I'm sure _you _would be uncooperative and not want _that._"

"The only uncooperative person here is you, you weak-"

This really would take a while.

* * *

In the end, the two grudgingly decided on a Kard. And now they were sitting in the forges, struggling with a _lot_ of things and yelling at each other almost constantly over the clanging of the other students tools and because Edward pissed Leonardo off _again. _Something about the wrong temperature and why said blond's face was now covered in soot. And breaking several utensils and wasting steel.

"_STRAW YELLOW, EDWARD. AND YOU TURNED THE AIR UP TOO HIGH."_ the archer yelled, after approximately the second failure in heating the thing up because the brunet was a very impatient person. Which was, of course, bad for forging. Not only that, but they have to get the right attributes as well... This looked impossible, but if the others are managing, so can they. Or, at least, that's what that stubborn myrmidon said after the first try.

Blue eyes flitted over to the instructions. Six units of steel, good Crit, somewhat average Hit Rate. Gods, why did they pick a Kard again?

"I got it, I got it!" Edward exclaimed, taking the steel plate out with a pair of pincers. "Get the hammer!"

It might work this time, though. Leonardo promptly began hammering it out evenly.

"You're doing great!"

"Thanks."

* * *

"Excellent work, boys. A good B- on the weapon, you could use this in case of emergency. It wouldn't last all that long though, and the point isn't quite as sharp as it should be, but it works. As for the presentation itself, it was a pretty solid A. You did your research well. That brings you to... A B+. Satisfied?"

Two sighs of relief in complete synchronisation as Edward put up a hand for a high-five, which Leonardo gave without hesitation. Daniel raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I didn't expect such a high grade from you two, to be honest. Congrats. How did it not end in a catastrophe?"

"I didn't want _him_ to drag me down." Leonardo stated, pointing at Edward. Edward did the same thing. "Me neither. We basically had no choice but to put our differences aside for a bit."

"You should do that more often, you two. I have a feeling you'd make a good team in the future."

Silence. The boys glanced at eachother, before both shaking their heads at the same time.

"Nah."

"No way."

The salesman-teacher shrugged with a smile, and ruffled their hair. "Either way, you could say I'm proud. Try to keep that peace a bit longer, eh? Help with things that might not be your forte. Just some advice. You two are dismissed!"

They were ushered out, and after the door shut, Leonardo held his hand out for a handshake. Edward stared at him as if he suddenly grew a second head.

"... Dude, why?"

"Shut up. Just... It was... Alright... Working with you. Now shake it."

"... Haha. Never thought I'd see the day. Ditto."

A firm handshake, and the two parted ways to head home.

The rest of the week was still in front of them, and who knows what might happen during that time, whether they go back to being sworn enemies or not. If it's the latter, then their classmates were in for the miracle of the year.

Looks like we'll have to wait and see.


	16. It's Too Early to Be Thinking This Much

**Not-Really-Day 16: Morning Pillow-Talk**

**Holy fuckin' _shit_, an update after _over a year_. How do you do it, Leo? I have no idea. Oops. I also went over the older chapters to fix light inconsistency and wording.**

**Additionally, this is actually a slightly older thing I had lying around, but I decided it was good enough to go in the collection. Not-very-reliable egg here, producing content.**

**That aside, it's almost been two years since I fell into this particular shipping hell, and it's only getting worse. Hopefully I'll have more time to write these later on!**

* * *

_After Edward had somehow wedged his way into his heart, Leonardo could swear that the myrmidon would leave an unimaginably huge hole behind if he suddenly wouldn't be there anymore._

_Alternately: Edward is not an up-and-early person, unless Leonardo's involved._

* * *

Leonardo honest-to-goodnessly had no idea how he'd lived before Edward quite literally jumped into his life. Perhaps he was being clingy, but he had to admit that it certainly seemed that way to him- He'd been such a positive influence to him, even if it seemed so much like the opposite at times, and he'd remained a constant throughout the entire war… The archer couldn't help but wonder how in Tellius the myrmidon pulled that off.

He also didn't know how Edward pulled off looking oddly endearing in his sleep when he was literally drooling over his pillow. The brunet gave an incoherent grumble and rolled over onto his back, now openly snoring, and Leonardo sighed in exasperation, before reaching down and gingerly brushing the other's bangs to the side. Edward stirred, but snoozed on. Another sigh fell from the marksman's lips. In a way, this moment in itself felt unreal, the way the sunlight filtered through the window, how there were no sounds of a campfire crackling nearby, how they were just allowed to lay there until duty calls. It was so tranquil, and the blond was almost afraid that he'd lose this if he was careless. But they'd gotten through this far, so he shouldn't have any more reason to worry, right? The countless battles were behind them, and Edward had returned from his journey across Tellius in one piece- The borders were peaceful, and there was no more danger to them than there should be.

So why was he still so worried? Why was he so afraid of the possibility that all this could shatter in a matter of moments? Before he knew it, a murmur left his lips, breaking the silence of the room in an oddly fitting way.

"I don't know how to live without you."

The snoring ceased. A single brown eye opened lazily at the remark, looking up at Leonardo, and incoherent mumble left Edward's lips. "Fvh mhrr mnnts." The other rolled his eyes, finally got up as if he'd never said anything in the first place, and pushed the curtains aside, letting the light fully illuminate the room.

"Morning to you too, sleepyhead." he snickered, his amusement growing as the brunet grumbled and shoved a pillow over his face to block out the light in a childish manner. This time, the other's voice came out in a whine, muffled by the fabric in his face. "Fiiiiive more miiinuuutes." he repeated.

The archer then proceeded to snatch away the pillow and throw it aside.

"It's already bright out, Ed, we should get going." The myrmidon let out another groan of protest.

"_Nrhooooo_."

Frowning in mock disappointment, the blond approached the bed, hovering over the other who was still rejecting the sunlight with all his sleepy might. Leonardo crossed his arms. "Don't make me drag you out of bed."

Edward lifted an arm slightly, peering up at his partner through the tiny opening in his light-blocking wall. "Come at me, nerdlord."

No sooner than the swordsman had said that did the archer realise his mistake- But alas, it was too late, and the other had already pulled him down onto the bed with a fwoomp. Edward grinned triumphantly, taking the opportunity to peck the other on the lips while he was still disoriented.

"Oookay, now I'm awake."

"Oh, come on. You planned this, didn't you-?"

"Love you too, Leo." A snicker, and the myrmidon sat up, hair sticking up in almost every direction, and Leonardo couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight- Even though it was a normal thing by now. Smiling unabashedly, the brunet promptly attempted to tousle it back into place.

It's always been that smile that'd helped him forget his worries, and the archer let his prior worries and fears dissipate, if only for a little while. There was no reason to worry, after all, and the blond smiled back, letting a little laugh bubble up from his chest.

Perhaps this peace was a welcome change- No, it definitely was one.

It was refreshing to not have to worry as much anymore.


	17. Surprise

**fCUK ITS BEEN ANOTHER YEAR SINCE I UPDATED, OOPS, HAHA, im ready to die, im still up to my neck in this ship and i cant stop**

**i felt a lil bad for leaving this dead like this so here's a lil update from a prompt i filled out a while ago.**

**the flow towards the end feels a bit weird to me so i might edit it a bit later  
**

* * *

Leonardo never believed that falling in love was a thing that happened suddenly, and he _most certainly _didn't believe in love at first sight.

But that aside, as a child, he also had no idea how love even worked in the first place- The closest he had ever come was the books upon books he had in his bookshelf of princes falling in love with princesses, commoners with nobility, relationship lines crisscrossing this way and that until he was honestly kind of sick of how needlessly complicated it all was. Butterflies in the stomach at something so uncertain and irrational? Feelings that were so superficial and fragile?

Nonsense. That's what it was. Even more so as he heard the gossip in the halls about Lady this-and-that eloping with Sir whatshisname, or another scandal with the other house, making court matters endlessly more tiring or causing problems of a similar calibre. Nonsense _and_ difficult. What a bother.

But the apathy eventually became curiosity (what _draws_ these people to this idiocy?), and later came realisation, but only after all was stripped from him that he ever had, save for memories he wished to bury and others sprung from the ashes of his heritage, a new world with new memories he would give his life to keep safe.

And it terrified him. His eyes were wide open, taking in all around him, and he wanted no more than to be blind again, because it's a frightening thing, really, to have people know you, _really_ know you, hear you cry, pour your heart out to them and later realise that you can't bear the thought of losing them, can't bear the thought that one day, they are all destined to leave in one way or another.

For him, love was a slow thing, a gradual thing, one that he had been too blind to see earlier, one that he hadn't been able to see while he was surrounded by it.

So he had no idea how to handle the fact that he may have fallen in love when he was finally,_ finally_confronted by the reality- A constant state of inner turmoil didn't quite cut it as an accurate description, and his lips remained sealed about the matter, fear of rejection and fear of losing more than he could ever gain holding him back from doing anything. He could lose a comrade-in-arms, a part of his family, his friend and_ the reason he's alive_, all in the blink of an eye, be it to his words or to the circumstances they live in, and he didn't want to risk it, not now, not ever. And gods be damned, he would take his affections to his grave if need be, if it would only help him to not lose more than he already had, for it would hurt less to have nothing than to gain and lose again.

And _gods, _had he almost lost him. It was all almost over and he'd _almost lost him_, all without a single word, and he would've lived with a million regrets and forever unsaid confessions at the tip of his tongue. But he didn't, and for that, Leonardo was glad, and his resolve to keep his silence finally shattered under his relief in seeing Edward again, a little battered and bloodied, but _alive_, breathing, alive,_ alive_, **_alive_**.

And he swore his body moved on his own, grabbing the trueblade by his shoulders and pulling him forwards into an abrupt kiss, earning a cut-off yelp of surprise in reply, and once it occurred to him what_ exactly_ he was doing, Edward was _kissing him back. _Leonardo's eyes flew open as he pulled away, red-faced and flustered, already beginning an apology as he covered his face with his hands.

"E-Edward! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- That was _indecent_ of me, I understand if you hate me now, I'm _so sorry_, can we pretend that didn't happen-"

Instead, the brunet interrupted with a nervous smile and a blush of his own, gesturing vaguely as he visibly scrambled for a suitable response.

"Hey, it's okay! I'm okay. We're okay- Are we okay? We're- We're okay, right? Is- Is this gonna be a thing? Because honestly, I don't mind. If this becomes a thing."

Leonardo's mouth opened, then closed in disbelief, before he understood- It was suddenly silly, in hindsight, that he'd been so afraid, though his fears weren't unfounded- And he managed a smile, a genuine smile, as his vision blurred with tears of all he's pent up over so long, leaning forwards again to bury his face in Edward's shoulder and he nodded, for fear his voice would crack if he would attempt to speak.

Love was a gradual thing, but he was glad that this came so abruptly.


	18. Starlight

**its quickly approaching my birthday again and im just. pops party poppers. time for edleo,**

**either way its been well over two years since ive posted this and my run-on sentences are still there and still insufferable, but im still cranking out drabbles i havent posted here. mostly because they're too short. or hideously self-indulgent. i can barely write these two anymore without dying of secondhand embarassment. ill try to rememdy that asap. most of my recent wips and ideas are more suited for longer fic though, and y'all probably know how that usually ends.**

**point still stands that ill pilot this hecking ship myself if i have to.**

**aNYWAYS this is short and gay and i no longer have any excuses. enjoy!**

* * *

Public displays of affection had never been his forte, Leonardo remembers as his eyes travel to their linked hands, swinging back in forth in time to their steps as they walk down the path, the brunet humming, talking to fill in the comfortable silence with even more comfortable aimless babble as they make their way through the streets, peering up at the skies turning blue and red as the sun sinks below the horizon and the once white clouds become more of a light pink- The color reminds Leonardo of roses, reminds Edward of candy, but both agree that it's beautiful, though they're looking at eachother as they say so.

Their destination is indistinct, they're honestly just wandering aimlessly, soaking in the last beams of sunlight and hoping to glimpse a great starry sky above them, when one of the alleys seem just a tad too familiar- The brunet perks up, pointing excitedly with his free hand- _Look, isn't that our alley_\- and drags him along- And the path does, indeed, look familiar, familiar enough for memories to rush back and Leonardo to nod excitedly in reply, feeling as if it were just the two again, all those years ago, as their hands unlink briefly and they scramble up the crumbling wall of a dead end to perch upon the brick and stone, staring upwards as the sun finally disappears behind dozens upon dozens of buildings. Their hands find eachother again, fingers entwining as if they belong there, as if they were two halves of a whole.

And the stars blink into existence, one by one, the moon peering out from behind the clouds, the last bits of illumination besides warm light from windows, the last bits of torchlight from the main street they had ducked away from. This was their place, their haven, for them alone, despite the crumbling brick, the almost eerie feeling any other citizen would get from the alley- Perhaps this was the work of whatever rose-tinted glasses they wore, or the memories that had been made here, but staring at the stars from here never lost its lustre, even if other things did with the passage of time.

The sky's now a midnight blue, the stars twinkling like the tiniest shards of crystal glimmering on a dark gown. Leonardo looks at Edward and his smile softens, because those hazel brown eyes sparkle in their own way, awe brought forth anew, silly grin on the brunet's face as the blond points out what few constellations he knew again and tracing new ones with their eyes, pointing at clusters and calling them butterflies, birds, castles, brave knights.

They lean against eachother as they fell silent, and Leonardo squeezes Edward's calloused, but warm hand. A murmur falls from his lips. _i love_ _you. _The brunet laughs, tilting his head up to place a tiny kiss on the other's forehead, free hand gently brushing his fringe out of the way.

_i love you, too._


End file.
